Taylor Liechty. W131-Period 2. March 23, 2017. Ronald Reagan

Taylor Liechty W131-Period 2 March 23, 2017 Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States of America. Before becoming interested in politics, he was an actor born in Tampico, Illinois (Freidel, Sidey). In 1966, Reagan was elected governor of California, and that was the beginning of his political future (Freidel, Sidey). Reagan strove through foreign policy while building America strong thought his words, â€Å"peace through strength† (Freidel, Sidey). Pushing through an assassin-attempt, Reagan achieved great things as told in his farewell address. Ronald Reagan uses thoughtful organization, emotional appeal, repetition, and allusion in his farewell address to the nation, in reason of his termination in presidency as well†¦show more content†¦Reagan’s specific word choice to instill emotional response creates a togetherness, or closeness of America and allows for him to make reflections of what the entire country—including himself—was able to accomplish with his assistance. Along with creating togetherness, his general specific word choice makes his speech more understandable to an average American citizen and creates an emotional response by a soft-hearted farewell tone. For example he says, â€Å"It’s been quite a journey this decade, and we held together through some stormy seas. And at the end together, we are reaching our destination.† Both Reagans specific word choice to instill emotional appeal by creating togetherness and using a soft-hearted farewell tone allows for him to accomplish his purpose of reconnecting the people’s mind of the great accomplishments America achieved while he was president. Furthermore, aside from organization and pathos, Reagan uses repetition of an allusion. In paragraph 23, Reagan uses repetition, but he repeats an allusion to the preamble of the Constitution. He says, â€Å"‘We the people.’ ‘We the people’ tell the government what to do, it doesn’t tell us. â⠂¬ËœWe the people’ are the driver, the government is the car†¦. ‘We the people’ are free.† The preamble begins as so, â€Å"We the people of the United States, to form a more perfect union†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Baltzell, George W.). Ronald Reagan

E-Government in Kazakhstan Challenges and Its Role to Development Free Essays

string(278) " particular have been explored and analyzed: first, published academic journal and newspaper articles on e-government; second, reports published by the international organizations; and finally, review of websites of both public and private agencies in Kazakhstan and elsewhere\." Public Organiz Rev (2010) 10:31–47 DOI 10. 1007/s11115-009-0087-6 E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development Shahjahan H. Bhuiyan Published online: 9 July 2009 # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009 Abstract This paper critically examines the progress made in introducing and implementing e-government programs and policies in Kazakhstan. We will write a custom essay sample on E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development or any similar topic only for you Order Now It argues that in order to achieve the articulated development goals, the Kazakh government has moved toward e-government paradigm to ascertain a people-centered, accountable and transparent government. Available data substantiates that the initiative faces several challenges such as political support and relationship between political institutions, bureaucracy and citizens, digital divide, widespread corruption, lack of human resources, and inadequate infrastructural development, which needs to be amputated to improve public service delivery. This study illustrates some international development experiences to understand the benefit of e-government. Such experiences may serve as policy guidelines to the successful implementation of e-government to ensure overall development in Kazakhstan. Keywords Development . E-government . Kazakhstan . Service delivery Introduction Electronic governance has been widely endorsed as a solution to a range of predicaments in the public sector. With promises of decreasing corruption, cutting red tape, reducing government costs, and fluctuating participatory governance, the egovernance revolution has swept most nations, capturing the imaginations of policy makers and attracting the interests of citizens and business alike (Salem 2006). Electronic government evolves swiftly through defined stages, beginning with a web presence of public agencies (â€Å"interaction†) to a means for citizens around the clock seven days a week in the convenience of their homes (â€Å"transaction†) (Netchaeva 2002). This essentially creates a new ground for public sector operation. The S. H. Bhuiyan (*) Department of Public Administration, Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research (KIMEP), 4 Abai Avenue, Almaty 050010, Kazakhstan e-mail: sbhuiyan_68@yahoo. com 32 S. H. Bhuiyan equence of stages was depicted as inevitable, fueled by technology, citizen demand, and economic realities in the public sector (Mayer-Schonberger and Lazer 2007). The prime objective of any technological innovation is to improve the quality of human condition. This cannot be achieved by technological advances alone. First and foremost, they have to be successfully applied to human society. Such an approach is significant for governance and public administration because of its impact on a larger section of the society (Sharma 2002). To reap benefit of the information and communication technology (ICT), international development agencies are paying considerable attention to the gradual improvement of egovernment, particularly in developing countries. The most recent United Nations Report entitled e-Government Survey 2008: From e-Government to Connected Governance succinctly illustrates the importance of e-governance: ‘E-government can contribute significantly to the process of transformation of the government towards a leaner, more cost-effective government. It can facilitate communication and improve the coordination of authorities at different tiers of government, within organizations and even at the departmental level’ (UN 2008, p. xii). In the same vein, the 2001 Human Development Report entitled Making New Technologies Work for Human Development, commissioned by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), clearly portrays the role of ICT for development as it stated: ‘[I]t is time for a new partnership between technology and development. Human Development Report 2001 is intended as the manifesto for that partnership’ (UNDP 2001, p. iii). Again, in the United Nations system, the World Bank launched an e-government website, and in November 2002 its Information for Development Program released The E-Government Handbook for Developing Countries. Later on, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development convened the World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva in December 2003, and in Tunis in November 2005. Outside the UN system, many initiatives were launched. One was the Roadmap for E-Government in the Developing World, released by the Pacific Council on International Policy in April 2002 (Holliday and Yep 2005, p. 239). Kazakhstan was a part of the USSR until its collapse in 1990. During the Soviet regime, public documents were largely shelved as ‘classified’, and thus restricting people’s access. Living with such cynic norms of governmental operation for years, the Government of Kazakhstan (GoK), after independence in 1991, quickly realized the need of a transparent and accountable government. In the midst of transitional challenges, the Government has chosen the introduction of e-government for the twin objectives of providing fast and quality access to public services and of improving public services’ effectiveness through the widespread use of ICT in the public sector (World Bank 2006). In order to measure how far e-government initiatives have contributed to the improvement of relationships between politicians, bureaucrats and citizens in post-independence Kazakhstan, this paper: (i) analyzes the background to the introduction of e-government programs and policies; (ii) describes the overall development of e-government; (iii) investigates the challenges facing the implementation of e-government initiatives; and finally (iv) highlights its contribution to development. In short, the main focus of this paper is to critically examine the progress made so far in introducing and implementing e-government programs and policies in Kazakhstan. This paper concludes by presenting a road E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 33 map showing how e-governance in Kazakhstan can be utilized as an instrument of development. In reality, Kazakhstan is in transition. Of the many transitions now going on, an important one is the shift from ‘closed’ to ‘information’ society. Here lies the significance of the present study, insofar as it analyzes how this shift is being negotiated in a crucial area of development, the public sector. There is much to gain from a critical assessment of the success of e-government initiatives have so far attained in post-independence Kazakhstan, as it sheds light on the challenges it is confronted with at present, which in turn helps to identify some of the ways as to how they can effectively be overcome. The existing scholarship on e-government in Kazakhstan is less than satisfactory. This paper is intended to make a contribution to the steadily emerging area of study focused on e-government in a local as well as global context. Methodology This paper is based primarily on secondary sources. Three sources in particular have been explored and analyzed: first, published academic journal and newspaper articles on e-government; second, reports published by the international organizations; and finally, review of websites of both public and private agencies in Kazakhstan and elsewhere. You read "E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development" in category "Papers" The latter contributes to our understanding regarding the contents and services they provide to citizens. What is E-government? E-government was introduced in the field of public administration in the late 1990s, though it has not been clearly defined and understood by scholars and practitioners of public administration (Moon 2002). The term e-government arises by analogy to the concepts and practices of electronic commerce applied to the public sector, referring to the delivery of government services to the public ‘on-line’ (typically over the Internet) or to the technological infrastructure required to deliver those services (Brown 2005, p. 242). E-government denotes the strategic, coordinated use of ICT in public administration and policy decision-making (Haldenwang 2004). Similarly, by e-government, Tandon (2005) refers to the provision of efficient, convenient and transparent services by government departments and agencies to citizens and businesses. The Global study of E-government, a joint research initiative for global egovernment by the United Nations (UN) and the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), provides a comprehensive definition of e-government: Broadly defined, e-government includes the use of all information and communication technologies, from fax machines to wireless palm pilots, to facilitate the daily administration of government. However, like e-commerce, the popular interpretation of e-government is one that defines it exclusively as an Internet driven activity†¦to which it may be added â€Å"that improves citizen access to government information, services and expertise to ensure citizen 34 S. H. Bhuiyan participation in, and satisfaction with the government process†¦it is permanent commitment by government to improving the relationship between private citizen and the public through enhanced, cost-effective and efficient delivery of services, information and knowledge. It is the practical realization of the best that government has to offer. † (UN and ASPA 2002, p. 1) According to World Bank, e-government means to governmental use of information technologies (such as Wide Area Networks, the Internet, and mobile computing) that have ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other agencies of government (cited in Sharma 2002, p. 607). The World Bank definition indicates the areas of operation of the concept and also lays down the broad benefits accruing out of this utilization of ICT to the field of governance, namely, to promote citizen empowerment, improve service delivery, strengthen accountability, increase transparency, or improve government efficiency (cited in Tandon 2005, p. ). This paper takes a wider view of e-government by adopting the application of ICT tools to the improvement of governance through building public-private partnership to achieve development. In this article, ‘e-government’ and ‘egovernance’, despite their subtle conceptual differences, are interchangeably used. Kazakhstan: co ntext The Republic of Kazakhstan is located in Central Asia bounded in the West by the Caspian Sea, in the North by Russia, in the East by China, and in the South by Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan (see Box 1 for summary information). Extending over a territory of 2,725,000 square kilometer (Makhmutova 2001), it is the second largest country of the former Soviet Republics with a population of 15. 48 million in 2007 (World Bank 2008), of whom 4. 5 million are ethnic Russians (Wilson et al. 2002), and population density 5. 7 per square kilometer (Agency of Statistics of Kazakhstan website: www. eng. stat. kz). Kazakhstan continues to negotiate the enormous challenges inherent in any transition from a planned to a market economy and, in the last decade, has experienced plummeting production levels (Wilson et al. 002) and two-digit (now 11%) inflation continues to grow. In recent days, Kazakhstan makes considerable progress in almost all aspects of life. Although, critics expressed concern about the limit of the country’s democratic development and the lack of its commitment to hold free and fair elections. For example, the most recent Presidential elections were held in December 2005 when President Nazarbayev won a third term with more than 90% of the vote. The elections gained negative commentary from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which claimed they had not met international standard, citing campaign restrictions, interference in polling stations, multiple voting, pressure on voters, media bias and restriction on freedom of expression (Keesing 2005 cited in Knox 2008, p. 478). In the same vein, in 2001, another scholar also observed: â€Å"It is as yet too early to herald the dawn of real democracy in Kazakhstan† (Robinson 2001). Kazakhstan’s economy has gone through stages of decline, stagnation, and high economic growth after independence in 1990. The period from 1990 to 1997 was the E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 35 period of negative economic growth, or at best stagnation (in 1995–1997, economic growth was close to zero) due to transformation in economic arrangements. It was only from 1998 that Kazakhstan entered the phase of strong and sustained growth (Agarwal 2008). In the first nine months of 2007, Kazakhstan’s GDP grew by 9. % (ESCAP, 2008). In 2007, GDP per capita was US$ 7,857 (UNDP 2007). However, GDP growth is projected to fall to 5% in 2008, and a modest increase to 6. 3% is penciled in for 2009 (ADB 2008). Over the period 1998–2004, the population living below the poverty line in Kazakhstan declined significantly from 39% in 1998, to 20% in 2004 (Agarwal 2008). The measures being taken by GoK to raise the living standards of the po pulation have cut poverty levels by 1. 7% in 2006 by comparison with 2005 (to 18. %), and the figures for 2007 indicate that poverty levels have fallen to 12. 7% (UNESC 2008). The long-term development strategy ‘Kazakhstan 2030: Prosperity, security and improved living standards for all Kazakhs’ was adopted in 1997. It identified seven priorities for the country’s development: (i) National security, (ii) domestic stability and social cohesion, (iii) economic growth, (iv) health, education and welfare for the citizens of Kazakhstan, (v) energy resources, (vi) infrastructure, transport and communications, and (vii) a professional state. Since 1998 all the programs adopted in the country are being developed in accordance with the noted development strategy of the country, which aimed at improving the quality of life for the population by reducing social exclusion and raising the quality of social services, improving the environment, and involving civil society in development (UNESC 2008, p. 6). Box 1: Kazakhstan: summary information Head of State President Nursultan Nazarbayev, first elected in December 1991 and re-elected in 1999 and 2005. National Legislature Bicameral: 77-seat lower house (Majlis), 39-seat pper house (Senate). Language Kazakh is the state language. Russian is most widely spoken. Currency Tenge Exchange rate 2007 average US$ 1 ? 120 Tenge Unemployment rate 8. 8 (2003) Adult literacy rate (% ages 15 and older) 99. 5 (2005) Life expectancy at birth (both genders) 65. 9 years (2005) GDP 104 billion US$ Internet users (per 100 people) 12 Time required to start a business (days) 21 Sources: Agarwal 2008 ; UNDP 2007; Wilson et al. 2002; World Bank 2008. The development initiatives of GoK have contributed to improving human development index (HDI). In 2007/8, the HDI for Kazakhstan is 0. 794, which gives the country a rank of 73rd out of 177 countries (UNDP 2007). In the contrary, the 36 S. H. Bhuiyan ongoing mammoth development activities also encouraged, it would seem, widespread corruption in the country. As a result, during the years, Kazakhstan consistently gained poor corruption perception index (CPI). A 2008 Global Country Report on the state of corruption launched by the Transparency International ranks the country 145th among 180 countries with a CPI 2. (Transparency International 2008). Admittedly, the backdrop painted a landscape that suggests the critical importance of implementation of e-government scheme in Kazakhstan with an aim to quick and quality access to public services, improving its effectiveness, combating corruption, poverty reduction through income generation, and thus building a breeding ground for development. The state of E-government in Kazakhstan Overall situation: benchmarking Kazakhstan has envis ioned joining 50 most competitive countries in the world by 2030. In achieving this goal, ICT plays a critical role by readying the country for entry into the forum of competitive world. In doing so, Kazakhstan’s accomplishments in fostering e-government include (World Bank 2006): Recognition of e-government as a priority at the highest political level and the elaboration of an e-government strategy; Establishment of the Agency for Informatization and Communications (AIC) as an independent regulatory authority empowered to implement state ICT policy; Creation of government agency Web sites (32 out of 42 government agencies have their own Web sites); Development of a number of corporate networks and databases (e. g. , integrated taxation, customs, pension information systems) by individual government agencies; and Enacting important legislations such as the laws on e-documents and esignatures. Kazakhstan has made substantial progress in introducing ICT in public sector. In terms of e-readiness, the United Nations Report on the e-Governance Survey 2008 recognizes Kazakhstan as the leader of Central Asia, while the region has regressed the most since the 2005 survey. This global survey report has ranked the country 81 among 189 countries with an index value 0. 4743 as compared with 65 among 179 in 2005 (UN 2008, pp. 31–32). Table 1 shows e-government readiness in Central Asian countries. The table indicates that the countries in the region had a lower e-government readiness index than in 2005. In spite of government’s efforts, Kazakhstan slips from its 2005 position partly because 2008’s Survey had more focus on the interactive and transactional stages which largely remain unachievable, and thus the scores were lower (UN 2008). Another potential reason is its weak telecommunications facility. A 2004 International Telecommunication Union (ITU) data shows that effective teledensity in the country was quite low, 16. 23 (ITU 2004). However, this number continues to improve. In 2000, the main telephone lines per 100 people were 12. 3 E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 37 Table 1 E-government readiness for Central Asia Country 2008 Index 2005 Index 2008 Ranking 2005 Ranking Kazakhstan 0. 4743 Kyrgyzstan 0. 4195 0. 4813 81 65 0. 4417 102 Uzbekistan 0. 4057 76 0. 114 109 Turkmenistan 0. 3262 79 128 †¦ Tajikistan 0. 3150 0. 3346 Region 0. 3881 0. 4173 132 117 World 0. 4514 0. 4267 †¦ Source: UN 2008, p. 32 which increased to 19. 1 in 2006, while in the same period mobile cellular subscriber increased from 1. 3 to 51. 2 (World Bank 2006). The e-Government Survey 2008 data shows that both mainline telephone and cellular user further increased to 19. 77 and 52. 86 respectively (UN 2008). E-government program objectives and implementation Kazakhstan’s e-government program incorporates a three-stage approach (World Bank 2006): st stage: creation of the basic components of e-government infrastructure, such as the governmental portal, a â€Å"payment gateway† providing a linkage with the banking system, national identification system, government-wide ICT network backbone infrastructure, creation of cross-agency information systems, provision of mainly informational and transactional e-government services, promoting Internet use among the citizens and bridging the digital divide. 2nd stage: expansion of the scope and depth of e-government services (predominantly of transactional nature) and comprehensive ICT-enabled reengineering of government administrative procedures. rd stage: ICT-based transformation of government agencies’ operation, building a fully-fledged information society, provision of e-health, e-education, e-culture, e-demo cracy and other services. Some tasks related to the first stage were implemented in 2006. On the April 12, 2006, e-government web-portal (www. e. gov. kz) was launched which provides more than 900 information services (egov magazine 2007). This portal is tri-lingual: Kazakh, Russian and English. Laws ‘On Informatization’ and ‘On Amending Certain Legal acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Sphere of Informatization’ were developed and enacted. Interagency electronic workflow with digital signature has been implemented in 39 state bodies. A pilot model of National Authentication Center for physical and legal entities has been developed, and a pilot project on integrated transportation medium of state bodies has been implemented in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. In an interview with the egov magazine in July 2007, Kuanishbek Esekeev, the Chairman of AIC, reported that GoK had implemented, on 38 S. H. Bhuiyan an experimental basis, government databases on ‘Physical Bodies’ and ‘Legal Entities’, in six oblasts (regions). Moreover, 15 interactive services such as land register and address register software were developed and tested in pilot zones: Citizens’ Service Centers (CSC) of Almatinskiy and Saryarkinskiy regions, Astana (egov magazine 2007). To connect citizens with the web, till 2006, 460 public access points kicked off. Eleven classrooms for providing computer literacy were opened in several regions as a part of capacity development of public sector employees, where more than 1,500 civil servants have been trained (egov magazine 2007). In 1997, a state program was adopted to incorporate information technology (IT) into the general education system, so as to create IT network within the international education space. In 2007, the provision of computers to schools had reached one computer for every 21 pupils compared with one for every 62 in 2001 (UNESC 2008, p. 15). Besides, online instruction has been introduced into the teaching process, comparing a set of five subject schemas, and work has been progressing to connect the education system to the Internet (UNESC 2008). The AIC is currently working to develop interactive services delivery through national e-government portal. In recent days, the Agency has been successful to deliver limited e-services. For example, it is possible to submit tax statements to the authorities as well as to clear mutual payments with the state budget through electronic channels in real time using digital signatures, which distinguishes Kazakhstan from other CIS countries (World Bank 2006, p. 10). In March 2006, a service has been launched, which enables citizens to submit applications to five ministries (e. . , Ministry of Economic Affairs and Budget Planning) and get an answer to his or her question in 3 to 5 working days. Almost all Akimats (city government) and ministries opened their virtual reception rooms. Visitors can download reference-document; get acquainted with legal base and search addresses of various offices (AIC website: www. aic. gov. kz). Future plans The transactional phase of e-government development will allow citizens to pay for using public services via governmental portal. AIC is in the process to implement a payment scheme based on existing electronic transactional (payment) system of second-tier banks. GoK is committed to build a transparent information society that presupposes gradual increase of the portal users in number. It means this will eventually transfer public services delivery only in electronic form. As a move to this, AIC plans to provide 900 different kinds of services that are to be exhibited on the portal in 2009 (egov magazine 2007). The challenges In 2005, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs has estimated that more than 60% of e-government projects in developing countries fail (Salem 2006). Likewise, Kazakhstan confronts with multifaceted challenges to the introduction of e-government, and some of them are described here. E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 39 Political support and relationship between political institutions, bureaucracy and citizens Kazakhstan e-government program receives strong support from the President and his office. AIC has been given a mandate to coordinate and lead the effort (World Bank 2006). But problem arises due to the government’s tendency to monopolize political power (Perlman and Gleason 2007), dodging the established norms of multi-party politics. As a consequence, in the August 2007 elections, the President’s political party â€Å"Nur Otan† (father land) received 88. 41% of vote and captured all seats, and thus became the only party in the parliament when none of the parties were able to meet 7% threshold required to obtain parliamentary seats (Bakenova 2008, p. 4; Iqbal 2007). It is corroborated that political elitism is compounded by the fact that Kazakh opposition political parties are in disarray and fractured, offering no real alternative to the voting public (Knox 2008, p. 487). Kazakhstan is dominated by a formal political elite and a highly centralized and power base comprising the Administration of the President of Kazakhstan and key stakeholders therein : the State Secretary, Head of Administration and Security Council Secretary (Knox 2008). Cummings (2005, cited in Knox 2008) argued that the elite system is a compelling factor behind the emergence and maintenance of authoritarianism in Kazakhstan. Given disintegrated political context, it is clear that political communication develops in line with one’s party affiliation, which limits the general trust in government. As a result, the nature of relationship existing between the party in power and opposition signals low quality of political development in Kazakhstan. The lack of political participation, however, compartmentalizes the development of e-governance. On the other hand, a major means through which interaction between citizens and politicians occurs is the parliamentary website, which is supposed to facilitate the top-down flow of information from the legislature to citizens, allow a bottom-up channel for feedback from citizens to the elected members, increase transparency by providing detailed information about legislative procedures and activities, expand the number of avenues for greater public scrutiny of the nature and processes of public policies and thus enhance the accountability of these elected politicians to their constituencies (Norris 2001, cited in Haque 2002, p. 38). To this point, Kazakh Parliament maintains a website (www. parlan. kz) and provides a list of basic information such as parliamentary activities, legislative acts, constitution, and list of parliamentary groups. It also provides an option to the website visitors to contact parliamentary secretariat to inform their queries and comments. The emergence of e -governance has significantly changed the nature of the relationship between citizens and public servants (Haque 2002). A 2002 World Bank survey made an assessment of Kazakhstan’s governance and service delivery. The survey suggests that general areas where Government can work on to improve the quality of public services through e-government. For example, the results of the survey indicated that households were not satisfied with their interactions with public officials (World Bank 2002). To improve this perception, ICT can be utilized for the reduction in the time that citizens and businesses have to spend to complete transactions with public bodies can be set as one of the performance indicators. If the transactions can 40 S. H. Bhuiyan e completed online, citizens do not have to spend the time to visit and wait at a public office, as long as they have an Internet connection (World Bank 2006, p. 20). Corruption In April 2005, the President of Kazakhstan signed a decree ‘On Measures to Step up the Fight against Corruption’ to strengthen discipline in the activities of state bodies and officials (Transparency International 2006, p. 185). Against this backdrop, petty corruption in the various form of bribe taking is a fixture of daily life (Gleason 1997, p. 379). High profile corruptions are also rampant. For example, the President of the state-owned Kazakh Telecom joint-stock company was sacked by Security Council when it was revealed that his monthly wage was $365,000 (Knox 2008, p. 487). Similarly, in 2007, Kazakh Anti-corruption Agency (financial police) filed charges against the selection committee of â€Å"Bolashak† (future) program, a presidential scholarship scheme that enables talented young Kazakhs to study in developed countries. The charges stated that many scholarships have been actually purchased through the corrupt jury decisions (Bakenova 2008, p. 94). It is widely believed that e-governance is promised to reduce corruption, which displeases corrupt political executives and bureaucrats, who, in turn, create building blocks to the implementation of e-government programs. Digital divide ‘Digital divide’—exclusion of groups within the population to get access to a computer—is another challenge that has received government attention. It reveals that only 12% of the population in Kazakhstan has skills to use PCs and half of them can use computer without being helped (egov magazine 2007), and only 12% are Internet users (World Bank 2008). To bridge the gap, the government is implementing Digital Inclusion Program for years 2007–2009. This program aims to increase number of ITC educated people by 15% and prepare the country to the transition from the industrial to information society (AIC website: www. aic. gov. kz/? mod=staticIng=rusid=22, accessed November 22, 2008). Many governments across the world have taken up measures to lessen the magnitude of the problem. Philippines and Hong Kong, for example, have facilitated this partly by providing free or subsidized access to computers and Internet) in designated public places (Holliday 2002). Telecommunications infrastructure is relatively problematic, although there are examples of significant public intervention. To this effect, several municipal governments in Germany have facilitated the development of high-speed network cables, fiber optics, and public access to improve digital economy (Hasse 2002). Infrastructural development E-government operation requires strong technological infrastructure such as computing and telecommunications. A great deal of financial resources is involved to develop structure. In Kazakhstan, it is more burdensome due to its vastness and unique geographical structure. The government has so far (2005–2007) allocated E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 41 approximately US$380 million (World Bank 2006) for the purpose of e-government implementation. Let alone government fund is inadequate to meet required expenses, which warranted a partnership among public, private and donor agencies for the accumulation of investments. Kazakhstan’s poor infrastructural readiness for egovernment also reflected in the e-Government Readiness Survey 2008 where it scored 0. 306 on infrastructure index (UN 2008). Human resources There is no denial that in most of the developing countries e-government programs suffer due to the lack of quality human resources. Kazakhstan is no exception. A 2006 World Bank report points out that even AIC, the lead organization to implement e-government, is struggling with the shortage of professional staf f, leaving only 12–15 for the ‘informatization’ task (World Bank 2006). To overcome the challenge, GoK provides continuous training and education to develop professionals in this field. However, given the low public sector compensation packages, it is unclear whether the shortage of professionals will ever be overcome. Admittedly, Kazakh public administration suffers from migration of knowledgeable employees to its growing private sector due to attractive emoluments. This will essentially constrain country’s journey toward e-government development. Poverty Given the gradual decline of the population living below the poverty line, the reduction of poverty is still an important policy goal for Kazakhstan (Agarwal 2008). However, a Gini coefficient (a measure of income inequality, with higher values denoting more unequal incomes) increased from 25. 74 in 1988 to 33. 85 in 2003 (ESCAP 2008). Income inequality is on the rise and took a defiant shape due to onslaught global economic meltdown, which also affects Kazakh economy. Consequently, rates of rural poverty continue to grow, and the economic necessity force migration from rural areas to the towns, which contributes to increase urban poverty too. According to UNDP, nearly 16% of the total population lives on less than US$2 per day (Euromonitor International, www. euromonitor. com/pdf/indonesia. pdf, accessed November 22, 2008). In this context, it is argued that a large population is unable to buy PCs (price of a PC ranges between 40,000–60,000 Tenge) and be connected with Internet (initial connection fee and deposit amount to nearly 20,000 Tenge even with the state-owned Kazakh Telecom). Apart from the above, there are disparities in the distribution of basic services in Kazakhstan (Gleason 1997). For example, a study shows that due to ageing Soviet transmission and distribution lines, electricity losses average 15%, reaching 30% to remote areas (cited in Cochran 2008, p. 1), which causes frequent power cut1 mainly in rural settlements and thus upset the prospect of their social and economic life. This poverty-ridden environment is often not receptive to adopt technological innovations, like e-government. 1 Kazakhstan produced 76. 3 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity in 2007 and consumed just over that amount, 76. 4 billion kWh (Cochran 2008, p. 1). 42 S. H. Bhuiyan Harnessing privacy Rapid adoption of global networks and technological innovations has raised many outstanding concerns from civil society over the protection of their privacy and personal data and has brought into focus the possibility of the rise of ‘Big Brother ’ (cited in Bhuiyan 2006, p. 114). In a similar vein, referring to Korea, Jho (2005) illustrates that the Korean government has faced fierce public opposition and suffered major setbacks in pursuing some of its ICT projects. This symptom worries yet growing civil society of Kazakhstan and effective dialogue with the government can reduce tension over the issue. E-government in the context of development New ICTs can make a significant contribution to the achievement of good governance goals (Heeks 2001). The e-governance permeates the four domains of government: its role in fostering economic growth and social cohesion, its relationship with the governed, its internal administration, and its relationship with the international environment (Brown 2005, p. 251). In each of these areas developing countries are faced with limitations on institutional capacity and infrastructure, financial resources and civil service skills that characterize—and prolong—lower levels of development (Brown 2005). Against this backdrop, efforts have been made for implementing e-governance in many developing countries and some of them were successful. The outcomes of those practices have shown improved government functioning, better service delivery, and triumph over many socio-economic, political and administrative ills. Among them, three cases are presented below to help us to understand the usefulness of using e-government to achieve development goals. Lessons learned from the cases have immense value to reorganize Kazakh public administration in line with e-government mandate. Case 1. Brazil: house of representatives e-participation The Brazilian House of Representatives website allows citizens to talk to their representatives and to participate in debates directly through the Internet. The Government of Brazil also provides an e-participation platform that permits Members of Parliament and citizens to communicate through chat rooms, discussion forums and the service â€Å"Falm com Deputado† or â€Å"Talk to the MP†. This form of eparticipation has enhanced the interaction between citizens and Members of parliament. In a country as vast as Brazil and with a geographically dispersed population, online participation has provided citizens with a greater voice in the creation of policies and laws. (UN 2008, p. 31) Case 2. Health service in Malta The Malta Health Ministry is an excellent example of providing customer service online. The portal allows citizens to apply for the European Health Insurance Card online. It has an electronic patient library provided through a partnership with a E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 3 private firm, which provides citizens with a medical encyclopedia, information on surgeries and procedures, and has animated lessons. The portal also provides its citizens with a list of local pharmacies. (Source: http://www. ehealth. gov. mt/article. aspx? art=90 cited in UN 2008, p. 60) Case 3. E-seva program in Andra Pradesh, India The Government of Andra Pradesh has a clear vision to create a knowledge society by using IT in all aspects of devel opment and governance (www. esevaonline. com, last accessed November 24, 2008). Consequently, E-Seva (electronic service) program was launched to effectively deliver public and social services to the citizens. This program offers services of multiple central, state and local government agencies as well as some private sector organizations. The salient features of E-Seva include the following: 46 e-Seva centers (with 400 service counters) spread over the Twin Cities and Ranga Reddy District. All service counters are facilitated with an electronic queuing system. Operating from 8:00 a. m. to 8:00 p. m. , on all working days and 9:00 a. m. to 3:00 p. m. n holidays (Second Saturdays and Sundays). ‘One-stop-shop’ for over 66 government-to-consumer (G2C) and business-toconsumer (B2C). No jurisdiction limits- any citizen in the twin cities can avail of the services at any of the 46 e-Seva service centers. Online services: eForms, eFiling, ePayments. Payments by cash/cheque/DD/credit card/Internet. The Government of India data shows that e-Seva cente rs offer the total of 132 G2C services from 16 government departments, and 15 B2C services from 10 business firms. Services include, among others, online transaction processing of payments, issuance of certificates, and licenses. The number of transactions at e-Seva centers was initially under 5,000/month (August 2001). It quickly gained popularity and the number surpassed a million in July 2003. As of May 2004, the level of transaction is above 1. 1 million. (Source: http://www. esevaonline. com/ cited in World Bank 2006, p. 42) The first case makes it clear that interaction between MPs and citizens through Internet helps the former to better understand citizens’ opinions, grievances, and demands, while the latter participates in scrutinizing public policies and laws. Kazakhstan government needs to implement the practice, contextualizing it to the local conditions, to boost up contact between parliament members and citizens, a pre-requisite for ensuring good governance. The second case is focused on electronic delivery of customer services related to healthcare in an EU country, Malta. The dismal performance of healthcare sector in Kazakhstan (Iqbal 2007) warrants a major overhaul. As a part of perceived reform, GoK may experiment with the transferability of Malta’s practice in public healthcare outlets. The third example illustrates the significance of providing public services through public-private partnership (PPP) in Andra Pradesh, an Indian state. PPP is now a common strand of ‘third way’ government policy, with better efficiency promised 44 S. H. Bhuiyan from the private funding of public infrastructure through the transfer of risks to private concerns. In this perspective, GoK may consider to build PPPs as a potential strategy to deliver effective and efficient services to the citizens. Over and again, control of corruption and poverty reduction are two important development challenges that are being facilitated through e-government. These issues are in some detail discussed here. Corruption Heeks (1998) points out that the level of corruption in the public sector sharply decreases in countries where e-government exists. A survey in India has revealed that, in the states where e-government has been established even partially, the corruption rate has substantially fallen. The survey has found that in Kolkata and Mumbai, two Indian cities, due to implementation of e-governance in some public sector, corruption rate has declined to 19% and 18% compared to 51% and 38% respectively in 2000 (Kabir 2008). Similarly, in Bangladesh, one may observe that due to computerization of Railway Reservation System, the number of black-marketers has decreased considerably. Elimination of the middle-men in citizen-government interaction, in fact, is the major factor eradicating corruption (Kabir 2008). Poverty reduction Admittedly, the Nobel Peace Prize winning Grameen Bank has made a significant contribution to the development of ICT in Bangladesh. During the years, Grameen philosophy has proved that ICT can be very useful to uplift the rural and disadvantaged communities in Bangladesh and beyond (cited in Hossain 2005). According to the founder of the Bank and Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus identified three key areas ICT can play an immediate role in helping the poor (Yunus 2004, cited in Hossain 2005) are: 1. Integrating the poor into the mainstream economy by expanding their market, eliminating the middle-men in their business, and creating international job opportunities through service out-sourcing; 2. Bringing information, educational programs, skill training, and healthcare services, etc, all in a very user friendly way, even to the most remote villages; 3. Empowering the poor, particularly poor women, with a stronger voice that can be heard behind the borders of their villages, better access to information, and improvement in the democratic process. The study by Aminuzzaman et al. (2003) found a positive correlation between the uses of ICT and poverty reduction in Bangladesh. According to the findings, at the individual level, the Village Phone (VP) of Grameen Bank has contributed significantly to income generation of rural women (popularly known as phone ladies). Socially, it has given a new status and image to those women who are getting Bank’s support to start this venture both at the family and community levels. Moreover, at the community level, it has narrowed gaps between cities and villages by enhancing frequent communication between family members. Economically, it has increased business transactions and dissemination of information (Aminuzzaman E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 45 et al. 2003, p. 327). In an earlier but similar study by Bayes et al. 1999) also evaluated the role of VP (of Grameen Bank) within the context of rural development in general and of poverty reduction in particular. They came up with two basic conclusions: first, pursuance of pragmatic policies can turn telephones into production goods, especially through lowering transaction cost, and second, the services originating from telephones in villages are likely to deliver significant benefits to the poor in Bangladesh (Bayes et al. 1999). Kazakhstan suffers from rampant corruption and poverty. As a means to control corruption and eradicate poverty, the government can evaluate the suitability of the noted (or similarly designed) initiatives for implementation in Kazakhstan. Conclusion The paradigm of e-government emphasizes coordinated network building, external collaboration, and one-stop customer services to facilitate efficient service delivery to citizens, and, thus, contrasts sharply with the traditional bureaucratic paradigm, which stresses standardization, departmentalization, and division of labor (Ho 2002). In order to keep pace with the articulated development goals, particularly to achieve Kazakhstan 2030, the GoK has started to move toward e-government paradigm to establish a citizen-centered, accountable and transparent government. Kazakhstan’s past political history was linked to the long-standing legacies of monopolism, clanocracy, and cynicism of the Soviet period (Gleason 1997, p. 379). In the new Kazakhstan, situation has not improved to the extent many had expected. The country is still marked by widespread corruption, abject poverty, digital divide, lack of infrastructural development and human resources. In this context, egovernment offers opportunities, though rudimentary at the present stage, to the government to improve service delivery across the country. The international development experiences clearly portray the benefit of egovernment. Such experiences may serve as policy guidelines to the implementation of e-government in Kazakhstan, after careful evaluations to their acceptability in Kazakh society. An important challenge to e-government implementation in developing countries is the lack of financial resources. The case of Kazakhstan is very much the same. The honeymoon period of booming Kazakh oil economy is under stress. To continue the systematic implementation of e-government even during the sluggish economy, public-private partnership is a necessary strategy for the avoidance of huge initial investment costs. The successful implementation of the program will surely change the public administration landscape and enable the government to deliver services to a transparent, accountable, and client-focused environment. References ADB (Asian Development Bank). (2008) Asian development outlook 2008 [Kazakhstan]. Available at: http://www. db. org/Documents/Books/ADO/2008/KAZ. pdf, last accessed December 5, 2008. 46 S. H. Bhuiyan Agarwal, P. (2008). Economic growth and poverty reduction: evidence from Kazakhstan. Asian Development Review, 24(2), 90–115. Aminuzzaman, S. , Baldersheim, H. , Jamil, I. (2003). Talking back! empowerment and mobile phones in rural Bangladesh: a study of the village phone scheme of Grameen Bank. Contempor ary South Asia, 12(3), 327–348. Bakenova, S. (2008). Civil service in Kazakhstan: Deja Vu? International Journal of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe, 1, 89–96. Bayes, A. Braun, J. V. , Akhter, R. (1999). Village pay phones and poverty reduction: insights from a Grameen bank initiatives in Bangladesh. ZEF Discussion Papers on Development Policy. No. 8. Bonn: ZEF, University of Bonn. Bhuiyan, S. H. (2006). E-government in Bangladesh: prospects and challenges. Journal of Politics Administration, 1(1), 105–118. Brown, D. (2005). Electronic government and public administration. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 71(2), 241–254. Cochran, J. (2008). Kazakhstan’s potential for wind and concentrated solar power. KIMEP Working Paper. No. . Almaty: College of Social Sciences, KIMEP. Cummings, S. (2005). Kazakhstan: Power and elite. London: I. B. Tauris. egov magazine. (2007). Interview with Kuanishbek Esekeev, Chairman, Agency for Informatization and Communications. Retrieved from: http://www. egovonline. net/interview/print. asp? interviewid=184, last accessed March 27, 2008. ESCAP. (2008). Economic and social survey of Asi a and the Pacific. Retrieved from: www. kazakhemb. org. il, last accessed November 18, 2008. Gleason, G. (1997). Prospects for Kazakhstan’s asian liberalism. Democratization, 5(3), 376–385. Haldenwang, C. (2004). Electronic Government (E-Government) and development. The European Journal of Development Research, 16(2), 417–432. Haque, M. S. (2002). E-Governance in India: its impact on relations among citizens, politicians and public servants. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 68, 231–250. Hasse, D. (2002). E-Government: The future of federal and municipal institution. An unpublished Master’s thesis. Magdeburg: University of Magdeburg. Heeks, R. 2001. Understanding e-governance for development. i-Government Working Paper Series. Paper No. 11. Manchester: IDPM, University of Manchester. Heeks, R. (1998). Information technology and public sector corruption. Information System and Public Sector Management Working Paper Series. No. 4. Manchester: University of Manchester. Ho, A. T. -K. (2002). Reinventing local governments and the E-government initiative. Public Administration Review, 62(4), 434–443. Holliday, I. (2002). Building e-government in East and Southeast Asia: regional rhetoric and national (In) action. Public Administration and Development, 22, 323–335. Holliday, I. , Yep, R. (2005). E-Government in China. Public Administration and Development, 25, 239– 249. Hossain, F. (2005). E-governance initiatives in developing countries: helping the rich? or, creating opportunities for the poor? Asian Affairs, 27(4), 5–23. Iqbal, H. (2007). Democracy and Central Asian states. Regional Studies, 4, 66–95. ITU (International Telecommunication Union). (2004). ITU Data. Available at: http://www. itu. int/ITU-D/ ict/statistics/at_glance/main04. pdf, last accessed November 5, 2008. Jho, W. (2005). Challenges for e-governance: protests from civil society on the protection of privacy in egovernment in Korea. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 71(1), 151–166. Kabir, A. (2008). Discourse on e-governance: Bottomline. The Daily Star. November 14. Retrieved from: http://www. thedailystar. net/pf_story. php? nid=63243, last accessed November 14, 2008. Keesing Record of World Events. (2005). Kazakhstan presidential elections. December. Knox, C. (2008). Kazakhstan: modernizing government in the context of political inertia. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 74(3), 477–496. Makhmutova, M. (2001). Local government in Kazakhstan. In Igor Munteanu Popa Victor (Eds. . Developing new rules in the old environment: Local government in Eastern Europe, in the Caucasus and in the Central Asia. Available at: http://lgi. osi. hu/publication/2001/842ch8-kz. pdf, last accessed October 7, 2008. Mayer-Schonberger, V. , Lazer, D. (2007). From Electronic Government to Information Society. In V. Mayer-Schonberger D. Lazer (Eds. ), Governance and information technology: From electronic government to information government. Massachusetts and London: MIT. E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 47 Moon, M. J. (2002). The evolution of e-government among municipalities: rhetoric or reality? Public Administration Review, 62(4), 424–433. Netchaeva, I. (2002). E-government and E-democracy. The International Communication Gazette, 64(5), 467–477. Norris, P. (2001). Digital divide? civic engagement, information poverty and the internet in the democratic societies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Perlman, B. J. , Gleason, G. (2007). Cultural determinism versus administrative logic: Asian values and administrative reform in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. International Journal of Public Administration, 30(12), 1327–1342. Robinson, A. (2001). Geopolitics and oil focus the spotlight on Central Asia. Financial Times Survey. December 17. Salem, F. (2006). Exploring e-government barriers in the Arab States. Policy Brief. No. 2. Dubai: Dubai School of Government. Sharma, T. (2002). E-governance: process reengineering approach. Indian Journal of Public Administration, XLVIII(4), 606–616. Tandon, H. (2005). e-governance: an Indian perspective. Policy Society, 24(3), 1–28. Transparency International. (2008). Corruption perception index 1999–2008 (Kazakhstan). Available at: http://www. transparencykazakhstan. rg/eng/content/8. html, last accessed January 7, 2009. Transparency International. (2006). Global country report, 2006 [Kazakhstan], pp. 184–188. Available at: www. transparency. org/publications, last accessed November 18, 2008. UN (United Nations). (2008). United Nations e-government survey 2008: From e-government to connected governance. NY: United Nations. United Nations/A merican Society for Public Administration [UN/ASPA]. (2002). Benchmarking egovernment: A global perspective: Assessing the progress of the UN member states. NY: UN/ASPA. UNDP (United Nations Development Program). 2007). Human development report 2007/2008 [Kazakhstan]. Available at: http://hdrstat. undp. org/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_KAZ. html, last accessed November 13, 2008. UNDP. (2001). Human development report 2001: Making new technologies work for human development. NY: Oxford University Press. UNESC (United Nations Economic and Social Council). (2008). National report on the achievement of Kazakhstan’s strategic priorities to 2030 in the light of the millennium development goals. Available at: apps01. un. org/nvpcms, last accessed November 20, 2008. Wilson, J. , Gardner, D. Kurganbaeva, G. , Sakharchuk, E. (2002). The changing role of local government managers in a transitional economy: evidence from the Republic of Kazakhstan. International Journal of Publi c Sector Management, 15(4/5), 399–411. The World Bank. (2008). Kazakhstan: Data and statistics. Available at: http://www. worldbank. org. kz/ website/external/countries/ecaext/kazakhstan, last accessed November 13, 2008. The World Bank. (2006). Kazakhstan e-government program and the road ahead. Washington, DC: World Bank (a joint economic research program with the Government of Kazakhstan). The World Bank. (2002). Kazakhstan governance and service delivery: A diagnostic report. Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Unit, Europe and Central Asia Region. Yunus, M. (2004). Petersburg Prize 2004- acceptance speech delivered by Professor Muhammad Yunus in the Prize giving ceremony on June 27, 2004, at the Development Gateway Forum 2004, held at Petersburg Conference Center, Kongiswinter, Germany Shahjahan H. Bhuiyan is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Administration at Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research (KIMEP), Almaty. He earned a Ph. D. in Development Studies from the University of Bonn, Germany. His research interests are in governance, public policy and administration, public management, organization theory and behavior, culture, knowledge and development. Copyright of Public Organization Review is the property of Springer Science Business Media B. V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder’s express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. 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Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa for Scientific-myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theJunctional Epidermolysis Bullosa for Scientific Study. Answer: Background to the Scientific Study The study in the journal article talks about a lethal skin disease known as junctional epidermolysis bullosa. This disease is caused by the mutations in genes (Dang and Murrell, 2015, p.23). The people who are attacked by JEB develop skin diseases. The chronic wounds on the patients skin result to the development of the skin cancer. In this study, a seven-year-old boy is suffering from Junctional epidermolysis bullosa. The disorder came because of the generation of autologous transgenic keratinocyte culture (De Rosa et al.2014,p.5). The study in the journal focuses on transforming the lives of the boy to be a better one. Many patients affected by junctional epidermolysis bullosa die before reaching their adolescent stage; however, the study in the journal combines several approaches to save the life of the seven-year-old boy. The above research applies the method of gene therapy and ex vivo cells using other stem cells to deal with the epidermis. The study does a clonal tracing, whic h shows that the skin in the human being is enhanced by the existing small number of the old stem cells. There are three genes in the human body, which include LAMB3, LAMA3 and LAMC (Kiritsi et al.2015, p.200), the mutation of these genes result in the epidermis. Summary of key findings From the study in the journal article, all the epidermis on the individual suffering from JEB, are possible to be treated by autologous transgenic epidermal cultures. This way of replacement should contain the appropriate number of the stem cells. All mammals should have a proper generation of tissue in their cells and the only way to prove the development is the existent of stem cells. From the study, many clinics have used epidermal cultures for more than 30 years to control JEB. However, there is a challenge of proving the engraftment of stem cells, which are cultured. In addition to that, there is also indirect evidence that holoclones identification of stem cells from human epithelial regeneration. Another important thing evident in the study is that transient amplifying progenitors do not survive for long after grafting. In the journal, the study states that they wither after two months of grafting (Melo et al.2014, p.730). The progenitors may persist for a period, which is ess ential during the repair, and the renewal of the stem cells. Besides that, there are some cells, which contribute very little to the generation and healing of the wounds in the human body. As shown earlier in the study, those people who suffer from JEB have several injuries in their body that even cause skin cancer to them. Before doing grafting on the patient, there must be enough cells that form the holoclones. In the other part of the journal, epidermis can be generated by transgenic epidermal stem cells. On the other hand, the study has given room for the use of therapy to heal some of epidermolysis (Masunaga et al.2015, p.64). The findings in the journal are supported by the data. For instance, the data shows that the paraclones and meroclones cannot renew themselves. They are increasingly lost during the renewal of epidermal in vivo. Therefore, these two holoclones cannot be used in the maintenance of epidermis. The sample used in figure seven in the journal shows that the original holoclones need to go through self-renewal to regenerate skin. Strength and weakness of the study Every study has its strength and weakness. When analyzing the survey on this article journal, its advantage is that it combines the two methods to find the solution to the boys problem. The study is combining the gene therapy and the ex vivo cell to find the best solution to the patient. It is evident that after six weeks in the hospital, the health of the seven-year-old boy had turned worse. The evidence made the medical team conclude that the method of therapy was not the best approach (Sartelet et al, 2015, p.545). Another critical strength of the study is that it provides a room for the use of other methods of diagnosing this infection. On the last part of the study, it is elaborated that further studies are required to prove some of the things related to the gene approach of dealing with JEB (Sproule et al.2016, p.60). However, on the weakness part, the research only focuses on how to treat the infection but fails to show how to prevent the disease. As much as treatment is right but it is better to avoid than cure. If it were a matter of mutation or generation, the study would have outlined the ways of the disorder during generation to prevent the attack to many other people. Reflection on whether newspaper article accurately reports the results of the study The procedure of helping the boy in this article matches what is in the study. The doctors used the grafting method whereby, a piece of the boys body skin was added to the regular part of his skin. This is a process of grafting which was stated in the study. The doctors have applied the gene therapy to heal the boy (Pfendner and Lucky, 2014, p.87). The study illustrated that epidermis infection is a mutation problem, and the gene therapy is another best way to deal with the disease. On the other hand, the accuracy of the news article may be questionable. The news article has some limitations. For instance, the article does not outline clearly how the doctors did the grafting procedure. This limitation might make someone doubt if the process was active or not. In addition to that, the article would have elaborated on the changes that the seven-year boy was going through after the therapy process. It has jumped to the conclusion on how the boy was moving well not elaborating on the cha nges. On the last bit, the articles fail to talk about other methodologies that may have been used but failed. The news article is not providing awareness efficiently to the medical students. It may only be relevant to people who may have been in the field for a long time. However, news has been well arranged and the methodology applied is evident. Despite the message being direct, it has elaborated one of the best ways of dealing with the infection that is the gene therapy. References Dang, N. and Murrell, D.F., 2015. Integrins A6 and B4 and Their Role in Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa and Recessive Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex. InBlistering Diseases(pp. 85-90). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. De Rosa, L., Carulli, S., Cocchiarella, F., Quaglino, D., Enzo, E., Franchini, E., Giannetti, A., De Santis, G., Recchia, A., Pellegrini, G. and De Luca, M., 2014. Long-term stability and safety of transgenic cultured epidermal stem cells in gene therapy of junctional epidermolysis bullosa.Stem Cell Reports,2(1), pp.1-8. Kiritsi, D., Huilaja, L., Franzke, C.W., Kokkonen, N., Pazzagli, C., Schwieger-Briel, A., Larmas, M., Bruckner-Tuderman, L., Has, C. and Tasanen, K., 2015. Junctional epidermolysis bullosa with LAMB3 splice-site mutations.Acta dermato-venereologica,95(7), pp.849-851. Masunaga, T., Niizeki, H., Yasuda, F., Yoshida, K., Amagai, M. and Ishiko, A., 2015. Splicing abnormality of integrin 4 gene (ITGB4) due to nucleotide substitutions far from splice site underlies pyloric atresia-junctional epidermolysis bullosa syndrome.Journal of dermatological science,78(1), pp.61-66. Melo, S.P., Lisowski, L., Bashkirova, E., Zhen, H.H., Chu, K., Keene, D.R., Marinkovich, M.P., Kay, M.A. and Oro, A.E., 2014. Somatic correction of junctional epidermolysis bullosa by a highly recombinogenic AAV variant.Molecular Therapy,22(4), pp.725-733. Pfendner, E.G. and Lucky, A.W., 2014. Junctional epidermolysis bullosa. Sartelet, A., Harland, C., Tamma, N., Karim, L., Bayrou, C., Li, W., Ahariz, N., Coppieters, W., Georges, M. and Charlier, C., 2015. A stop?gain in the laminin, alpha 3 gene causes recessive junctional epidermolysis bullosa in Belgian Blue cattle.Animal genetics,46(5), pp.566-570. Sproule, T.J., Philip, V., Chaudhry, N., Sundberg, J.P. and Roopenian, D.C., 2016. 374 Complex genetics of non-herlitz junctional epidermolysis bullosa.Journal of Investigative Dermatology,136(5), p.S66.

Sightless free essay sample

Darkness. Isolation. Gloom. Obscurity. Solitude. Desolation. A man walked in the park, shifting his cane from side to side. A young girl trying to learn the Braille System. A married woman trying to see her firstborn. Because of their eyes. Just think of the numerous things you have seen today. Trees, flowers, your family, Facebook, news, stars, and possibly even more. With these eyes, there isn’t anything that could be left unconquered. But, then again, the world can sometimes be cruel. Taking out someone’s sight, it pains me to even think of how they could live the life that we have. What would you do when you can’t see your parents, siblings, or friends? Having to do everyday tasks would be harder than ever. You would have to learn how to cope and adjust. Each day would be a challenge that you would have to overcome. Being blind can cause extreme emotional damage, restrict your life in many ways, and could also prevent you from seeing all the tragedy in our world. We will write a custom essay sample on Sightless or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Every one of us has our judgmental side. We can’t say that we don’t have, because that would clearly be a lie. Most of us never fail to criticize someone because of their differences. Not passing the test, wearing clothes out of season, not knowing the latest trend, or even being the teacher’s â€Å"pet†. Just simple actions, many exaggerations. And what if there’s a blind man amidst the crowd, his cane shifting from side to side? Of course, the criticism begins. So, what could that blind man do? Nothing. A lot of us have trouble accepting the differences, especially when it comes to features. Could you imagine not being able to drive or play your favorite sport? If you were blind you wouldn’t be able to do a lot of things that other people take for granted, such as being able to see your mom or dad, being able to enjoy a beautiful painting, traveling around the world seeing anything and everything. We have always relied on our sense of sight. We have considered it the most important sense of all. Society is sometimes harsh, but coping with it is a skill the disable must learn to live with. I can remember the day when we were blindfolded, a day I’ll always keep in mind. From then on many obstacles have been put in my way that I’ve had to cope with, some with great difficulty. Though some people are strong enough to overcome a disability like that, others have emotional trauma and will take a long time learning to cope. Be grateful of who you are. Learn to appreciate the things around you. Learn to understand what others feel. Learn to become better. Learn to be good. Learn to live life to the fullest.

Goodman Fielder Company Strategies

Goodman Fielder Company Strategies Goodman Fielder is a large producer and distributor of branded and private labeled brad, dairy products, dressings, condiments, and different food ingredients. Located mainly in New Zealand and Australia, the company has expanded its activities in Asia Pacific region to receive international recognition.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Goodman Fielder Company Strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Recently, the company’s overseas subsidiaries have experienced significant losses because of inadequate market segmentation and fierce competition (Manning and Rogers n. p.). There are many factors and underpinnings of losses that Goodman Fielder faced due to inappropriate resources distribution and lack of awareness of customer needs and demands in overseas regions. This is of particular concern to Asian Pacific and New Zealand regions because the manufactures are now struggling with capturing sustainable position in the market. While integrating the retail markets in New Zealand and Asian Pacific region, the company encountered fierce competition. Specifically, the senior manufacturers are fighting against the influence of brand loaves of bread that have been sold for $1 (Phillips n. p.). The sale rates are especially controversial in the light of full-year loss. The failure to capture the market segment is explained by inability of the company’s distributors to meet customer needs in the identified regions. According to Phillips, â€Å"What’s good for consumers isn’t necessarily good for suppliers, and in this case, Goodman is feeling the pinch† (Phillips n. p.) The point that bread belongs to a high-penetration category, which implies that a great number of households have a high demand for this product. However, lower prices will not stymie competition; rather, they will contribute to crimping margins instead. George Weston Food is among the main compe titions of Good Fielder and, as result, the company has to resort to costs cutting in order to sustain further growth (Best n. p.). By reshaping the business and introducing customer-focused approach, the company strives to encounter significant margin pressures.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Development and introduction of multiple plans requires significant investment in innovation field. Tough competition in the retail market can also be explained by insufficient attention given to the brand innovation (Creely n. p.). In fact, introducing new and even exclusive products should promote product distribution and attract much more customers. The difficulties in retail marketing are also predetermined by other complex factors and undercurrents. According to Chairmen Max Ould, â€Å"market share reduction, increases in agricultural commodity costs and adverse currency translation costs have contributed to the decline, and the company has been unable to reduce its costs base quickly enough to compensate† (AFN n. p.). Moreover, due to the impossibility to timely revert the losses, the company failed to sustain steady growth. Because of unsuccessful attempt to increase prices, the company faced serious resistance on the part of their regular customers. Aside from marketing strategies and consumer demand management, the company also failed to predict natural disasters that happened in New Zealand region (AFN n. p.). The contingencies caused significant losses in production rates, as well as increased the operational costs. Judging from this case, Goodman Fielder does not have sufficient capacity to expand its business in other markets. To be more exact, the failure to meet the challenges of market penetration highlights absence of research explorations in the identified areas that would help alleviate possible losses and operational co sts in future. This means that the world’s largest manufacturer did not succeed in effective distribution of resources. Instead, the focus was made on quick integration of brand products. Excess attention to brand development caused serious problems in less developed fields of the production process. Lack of resources and marketing strategies is strongly associated with insufficient training programs introduced to the company’s subsidiaries. As a proof, the company’s inattention to training caused serious problems in the sphere of employees’ safety and security (Food Processing n. p.).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Goodman Fielder Company Strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With regard to the emerged case, the company did not succeed in sufficient employee management because it failed to provide the appropriate training programs, as well as introduce updated and convenient equipment. The senior managers did not invest resources into this field which result in significant losses and increase in operational costs. Finally, the company should have considered the cultural diversity factor while penetrating international markets. Due to the fact that Asian Pacific region belongs to the developing economies, affordable prices and quality should be a priority for consumer rather than brand name development. In conclusion, it should be stressed that Goodman Fielder as one of the world’s largest manufactures and distributors, should have been more consistent in developing market penetration strategies. Failure to expand its markets in New Zealand and Asian Pacific region proofs the inconsistency in the company’s strategic and advertizing approaches. In particular, the company did not manage to work out efficient branding strategy due excess focus on the exclusiveness of the launched products. The strategy prevented Goodman Fielder to adequately a ssess customer’s needs and demands. Consequently, the company faced tough competition on the part of the producers who prioritized the price policy. Lack of sufficient training and equipment was also among the most serious challenges leading to marketing pressures. AFN. Goodman Fielder Knocks Profits down on Competition, Floods, AFN Thought for Food, Web. ausfoodnews.com.au/2011/04/28/goodman-fielder-knocks-profits-down-on-competition-floods.html Best, Dean, AUS: More Plants to Go at Goodman Fielder, Just Food, just-food.com/news/more-plants-to-go-at-goodman-fielder_id120387.aspxAdvertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Creely, Luke, Goodman Fielder Innovations to Counter Market Challenges, AFN, 2012, Web. ausfoodnews.com.au/2012/02/22/goodman-fielder-innovations-to-counter-market-challenges.html Food Processing, Goodman Fielder fined $ 90,000 for 2009 Worker Injury. Business Solutions, 2012, Web. foodprocessing.com.au/news/55380-Goodman-Fielder-fined-9-for-2-9-worker-injury Manning, Paddy and Claire Rogers. Goodman Fielder Looks for Fresh Savings. Business Days. 2012, Web. businessday.com.au/business/goodman-fielder-looks-for-fresh-savings-20120903-25agt.html Phillips, S 2012, Goodman Fielder on the Bread Line, The Motley Fool Australia, 2012, Web. fool.com.au/2012/08/investing/goodman-fielder-on-the-bread-line/

Biography of Warren G. Harding, 29th U.S. President

Biography of Warren G. Harding, 29th U.S. President Warren  Gamaliel  Harding (November 2, 1865–August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States. He was in office when World War I formally ended by the signing of the Knox-Porter Resolution. Harding died of a heart attack while he was still in the White House; he was succeeded by Vice President Calvin Coolidge. Fast Facts: Warren G. Harding Known For: Harding was the 29th president of the United States; he died of a heart attack while he was still in office.Born: November 2, 1865 in Blooming Grove, OhioParents: George Tryon Harding and Phoebe Elizabeth Dickerson HardingDied: August 2, 1923 in San Francisco, CaliforniaEducation: Ohio Central College (B.A.)Spouse: Florence Kling  (m.  1891–1923)Children: ElizabethNotable Quote: Americas present need is not heroics, but healing; not nostrums, but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration; not agitation, but adjustment; not surgery, but serenity; not the dramatic, but the dispassionate; not experiment, but equipoise; not submergence in internationality, but sustainment in triumphant nationality. Early Life Warren G. Harding was born on November 2, 1865, in Corsica, Ohio. His father George was a doctor and his mother Phoebe was a midwife. Warren was raised on the family farm and attended a small local school. When he was only 14 years old, he began attending Ohio Central College. As a student, Warren and a friend published a small paper called the Iberia Spectator. Warren graduated from college in 1882. Career After college, Harding worked briefly as a teacher, an insurance salesman, and a reporter before buying a newspaper called the Marion Star. Through persistence and hard work, he was able to turn the failing newspaper into a powerful local institution. Harding used the paper to promote local businesses and build relationships with advertisers. On  July 8, 1891, Harding married  Florence Mabel Kling DeWolfe. She was divorced with one son. Harding is known to have had two extramarital affairs while married to Florence. He had no legitimate children; however, he did later have one daughter- Elizabeth- through an extramarital affair with Nan Britton. In 1899, Harding was elected to the Ohio State Senate. He served until 1903, making a name for himself as one of the most popular Republicans in Ohio. He was then elected lieutenant governor of the state. Harding attempted to run for the governorship but lost in 1910. In 1915, he became a U.S. Senator from Ohio, a position he held until 1921. As a senator, Harding was part of Congresss Republican minority, and he tried to preserve his popularity by avoiding controversial political positions. On the subject of womens suffrage, for example, he did not voice support until other Senate Republicans did, and he took stances both for and against Prohibition. Presidential Election Harding was nominated to run for president for the Republican Party as a  dark horse candidate following the 1919 death of Theodore Roosevelt, the partys favorite. Hardings running mate was  Calvin Coolidge, the governor of Massachusetts. He was opposed by Democrat James Cox. In 1920, Harding won the election with 60% of the popular vote and 404 electoral votes. Presidency President Hardings  time in office was marked by several major scandals. The most significant scandal was known as Teapot Dome. Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall secretly sold the right to oil reserves in Teapot Dome, Wyoming, to a private company in exchange for $308,000 and some cattle. He also sold the rights to other national oil reserves. After he was caught, Fall was sentenced to one year in jail. Other officials under Harding were also implicated in or convicted of bribery, fraud, conspiracy, and other forms of wrongdoing. Harding died, however, before these events began to affect his presidency. Unlike his predecessor  Woodrow Wilson, Harding did not support America joining the League of Nations (an early version of the United Nations). His opposition meant that America did not join the organization at all. The body ended in failure without Americas participation. Even though America did not ratify the Treaty of Paris ending  World War I, Harding did sign a joint resolution officially ending the state of war between Germany and America. As part of his isolationist stance, Harding also opposed further American intervention in Latin America; he was critical of Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt for their involvement in American activities in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. From 1921 to 1922, America agreed to a limit of arms, according to a set tonnage ratio between Great Britain, the United States, Japan, France, and Italy. Furthermore, America agreed to respect the Pacific property of Great Britain, France, and Japan and to preserve the Open Door Policy in China. During his presidency, Harding also spoke out on  civil rights  and commuted the sentence of socialist Eugene V. Debs, who had been convicted of anti-war demonstrations during World War I and imprisoned in the Atlanta Penitentiary. Harding released other anti-war activists as well. Though he was only in office for a short time, Harding made four appointments to the Supreme Court, nominating former president William Howard Taft, George Sutherland, Pierce Butler, and Edward Terry Sanford. Death On August 2, 1923, Harding died of a heart attack in San Francisco, California, which he was visiting as part of a tour of the western United States. He was succeeded as president by Calvin Coolidge. Legacy Harding is widely considered one of the worst presidents in American history. Much of this is due to the number of scandals that his appointees were involved in. He was integral for keeping America out of the League of Nations while meeting with key nations to attempt to limit arms. He created the Bureau of the Budget as the first formal budgetary body. His early death probably saved him from impeachment over the many scandals of his administration. Sources Dean, John W.  Warren G. Harding. Thorndike Press, 2004.Mee, Charles L.  Ohio Gang: The World of Warren G. Harding. M Evans Co, 2014.

Recent trends in the use of money The history of the Canadian dollar Research Paper

Recent trends in the use of money The history of the Canadian dollar relative to its US counterpart Why is the Canadian dollar - Research Paper Example This focuses on the conversion of properties or money that one acquires unlawfully into a country’s money system. Several countries use their money to fund criminal activities such as terrorism to reduce the strengths of other countries’ currency especially through the destruction of markets. The aim of all unlawful acts is to generate financial gains. Consequently, the availability of the working capital is vital for the sustainability of the criminal and terrorist networks. For instance, the criminal tendencies such as the allocation of narcotics and arms require an international network that consists of marketers, manufactures, transportation, and personnel. The criminals receive pays in cash lest their activities are recognized through transaction records. Criminal activities focus on the utilization of money using various approaches. For instance, such activities use cash through the primary phases of money laundering such as placement of the criminal processes wit hin fiscal systems, layering money to hide original sources of the criminal activities, and incorporation into lawful economic markets like banks (Weld 1). The major criminal activities such as drug trafficking generate significant proportion of resources that boosts the country’s economy after integration into the legal markets. For instance, illegal tobacco business generates revenues of about 40.5 US dollars in the US. Some criminals especially terrorists do not integrate their money through the legal market systems because they can easily be traced. Consequently, they use the ethnic-based cash service enterprises such as those who operate travel agencies to launder funds. Additionally, such illegal businesses can reduce a country’s revenues. For instance, other recent criminal money use entails the use of fake money to get the legal currencies. This contributes to the reduction of the strength of the countries’ currencies. Other money laundering acts entail infusing unlawful money into the football sectors. These sectors are very attractive to criminals especially persons who intend to use their unlawful money (Weld 1). The history of the Canadian dollar relative to its US counterpart In 1971, the total exchange rate of the Canadian dollar against the US was approximately 1.22. The highest Canadian rate during this year was 1.60 while the lowest was 0.96. Between the 1971 and 2011, the lowest exchange rate of the Canadian Dollar against the US was in 1974. During this year, the average Canadian rate against the US was 0.98. Between 1971 and 2011, the highest exchange rate for Canada dollar was 1.57. This was in the year 2002 (Hummel 1). The current 12 month forecast of the Canadian and the US dollar indicates that the exchange rate for the Canadian dollar will be approximately 1.00 Canadian dollars to the US Dollar in future. This is because the coinage trend shows that the exchange rate can easily fall by 0.04 percent implying that th e Canadian currency rate would be 0.94 by November 2013 (Hummel 1). The exchange rate for the Canadian dollar in the year 2012 was approximately 0.99 in October. That is 0.7 point higher compared to October 2011. By September 2012, the rate escalated by 1.04. According to some economists, this is a minor movement, and if it continues, the immediate trend would be comparatively flat. The one year shows that the country’s exchange rate was 1.00 averagely. Moreover, the standard conversion rate of the last 10 years was 1.14. Reports also show a higher

DisussionQuestions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

DisussionQuestions - Essay Example Obedience is an ability to follow commands of others. This can be illustrated by teenagers’ behavior of their leader who may tell them to jump off the bridge or try drugs. In case a teenager is obedient to his group leader, he would follow this path. Conformity is not always desirable as well. For example, at a workplace very often conformity may prevent an individual from a further career growth. On the one hand, once an individual rejects to conform, he may fall of the society. On the other hand, an individual’s ability to stay out of the crowd is his desire to become a leader. Thus if a company suggests to wear black ties, once an employee comes in a yellow tie he can be strictly criticized. But the matter is to reach high performance at a workplace and no matter what the color of his tie is. This is an example when conformity may be preventive for further performance in a company. I think that dress code turns employees into a mindless crow following others. In real ity, if a dress code is uncomfortable for employees, it is better to talk to CEO and explain to him that for the better performance people in a company should feel themselves comfortable. The same principle works in case children have to obey their parents and to enter the University chosen for them by their family.

Developing an action plan Essay Example for Free

Developing an action plan Essay The Utah Symphony has proven its ability to generate substantial sums of Revenue with both performance revenues and by securing large sums of income from governmental grants along with generous contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations. The Symphony’s ability to draw large crowds along with their demanding schedule length allows them to offer the community ample opportunities to participate. The Symphony provides sustainability for 83 full time musicians, and this allows them to concentrate on the goals of the Symphony without the worries of looking for other income opportunities. Mr. Lockhart is a very talented and experienced music director that has a personal commitment to his symphony. Mr. Lockhart’s role as the music director comes with many challenges, it is through these challenges that he has elevated the Utah Symphony to the status they enjoy today. The musicians and Mr. Lockhart have developed a relationship of trust and respect, Mr. Lockhart has publicly acknowledged how important they are to the overall success of the symphony and his success as a director. The Utah Symphony has a very demanding schedule and with it comes great expense; the symphony needs to look for cost cutting options to maintain operations. They are relying on generous governmental funding and other contributions that are simply not what the previously had been. The symphony will need to look towards the possibility of reducing its staff’s income and benefits, to overcome this shortfall, which is a hard situation to deal with. Mr. Lockhart will need to take a stronger leadership role and develop a plan to approach the musicians about the dire situation they are in and try to develop a strategy to cut cost, however his personal relationship with them present a challenge that is not easy to overcome. Another concern is Mr. Lockhart does not want be perceived as â€Å"playing second string† when it comes to his Symphony and will need to look at the bigger picture to see what is best for the Symphony. Anne will need to be as straight forward and honest as possible about the  realties that the symphony faces, with regards to budget management and cost saving techniques. She will need to gain the trust of the musicians much the same way Keith has by developing the understanding of the importance the musicians hold within the developing organization for the merger to be successful. She needs to develop a relationship with Keith and his position with the symphony that does not create tension within the merged organization. The Utah Opera has developed a business strategy that works. They are running a very profitable organization that utilizes effective methods for fundraising and obtaining other contribution resources. They have appropriated their budget to allow them to maximize what revenue they attain wisely; they will have very little reduction in governmental grants, and a projected increase in contributions for individuals, corporations and foundations in the year to come. They have a large inventory of costumes and productions sets and own the building and land they operate in. With Anne as the head of the UOC she has grown the budget from 1.5 million to almost 5 million; she’s an accomplished fund raiser for the UOC. Anne bring many talents to the UOC from stage director, to general director Anne is a very crucial part of the success of the UOC. The UOC faces a challenging future with the lack of performance revenues projected for the upcoming season and increase in production cost they may have to make adjustments to staff to maintain their level of security, however they have been running an impressive surplus of nearly half a million dollars. With the merger details made public they have had some staffing concerns and even the resignation of the Director of operations Leslie Petersen. Some members of the UOC staff feel they may be placed in the shadows of the Symphony and end up flipping the bill for the symphonies failures. Anne has undertaken a huge role within the merger of the organizations and she will need to make sure she doesn’t lose focus with the day to day operations of the UOC, since she is currently without a Director of operations. Anne has a proving record of running efficient organizations and may not be sensitive to the needs and desires of the employees from both the UOC and USO, due to her drive for efficiency. Anne needs to place a Director of operations for the UOC as soon as possible. She will need to talk with her current employees and provide the assurance they need in regards to the important role they play in a successful merger. She will want to assure that the organizations will work together as one and the UOC will not be left flipping the bills from the shadows. Anne will want to continue to meet the needs of the UOC to maintain it level of success. Analysis of Company scorecards Financially the goals of the USO and UOC are quite similar they both are concerned with financial stability with increased profitability. Fund raising is realized as being very important to maintain that profitability with the USO focused more on keeping ticket prices the same as last year and the UOC with increasing their endowment being a priority, which has one to think that the UOC is more concerned with money then the artistic exposure aspect that the USO has. Both organizations have goals of increasing profitability, with the USO planning on a significant increased goal, the UOC just wants to increase the reserve funding (there security blanket). Both organization have similar goals with respect to notoriety however due to the size and scope of the entertainment they provide, the USO has a more world vision on success with the UOC is focused on national and regional recognition. Both organizations realize their success depends on great performances and talented performers; they remain very similar in that aspect. The crowds say it all and both the UOC and USO know that feedback and attendance is very important, but they have different views on how to gauge this with the USO focused on feedback directly from exiting customer and the UOC judging this by the ability to producing sell out performances. The internal processes of the two organizations are quite different with the USO maintaining the staff of it musicians tear round, and the UOC gaining new performers for different performances, they face different sets of challenges they both negotiate salaries for the performers and talents with  profitability being a major tactic. They measure the success of the internal process differently as we with the USO depending on improving ticket sales and returning customers the UOC is depending on reviews and profitability measurements for success. With respect to learning and growth, the organizations differ slightly. They are concerned with increasing the amount of performances, with the USO focused more on gaining a younger crowd the UOC is just trying to keep sales growing. They both realize the importance of ticket sales to their success with the UOC again is concentrating on having the increase in bottom line, where as the USO wants greater returning audiences. The scorecard does address some of the strengths and weakness, I developed prior but should have a better focus on what the organizations can do to improve and assure they will be successful in the future. The balance score card may not align with all the strengths and weaknesses of an organization but it more approximately focuses on what direction the organization desires to go to meet its desired outcome. USO UOC Balanced Scorecard Financial  ·Strategic Goal: Being Financially stable with increased profitability  ·Critical Success Factor: Maintaining highly successful fundraising efforts to maintain ticket prices and endowments.  ·Measure: Increase profits providing Surplus deficits. Customer  ·Strategic Goal: Providing Top notch performances and gain Notoriety  ·Critical Success Factor: Acquiring quality performers  ·Measure: Ticket sales and exit surveys Internal Process  ·Strategic Goal: Attracting top talent while improving profitability  ·Critical Success Factor: Negotiating contracts closely to assure profitability  ·Measure: Improved profitability, and ticket sales. Learning and Growth  ·Strategic Goal: Increase of productions to more appealing crowds  ·Critical Success Factor: Increased profitability with Larger demographic  ·Measure: Return sales and exit survey results The weakness of the merged organization with regards to the financial stability will be how to distribute the profits; they both have goals to increase profitability which is a good starting point, they will just need to develop a solid plan. With regards to the customer the organization wants to increase its overall notoriety and exposure to different demo graph’s and this is a great strength they share and can benefit from. With regards to Internal processes the current goals they share to maintain profitability while negotiating salaries is a weakness due to the inherently different classes of talents the organizations face and how they can balance that difference while maintaining peace. The organizations share the goal of increased growth and exposure to a varied age group while increasing production so this should be a strength that they both will benefit from and have little trouble adapting to. With the balance scorecard in place, the financial issue that could arise would be how the profitability of the organization should be allocated, whereas the UOC is more focused on maintaining its endowment the USO is more concerned with keeping ticket sales stagnate while keeping the musicians happy. The Humans resources department will be dealing with two very different groups of talent and with the USO musicians union to deal with they will have a very challenging task with the merger.  When dealing with customer satisfaction, due to the organizations producing very different types of productions they have a level of frustration and confusion with scheduling and production run times. The best way to educate customers on the performances will be through advertisements and customer interactions such as exit surveys and questionnaires. The new merged company executive will want to develop a detailed business strategy that will show how the organization will be able to maintain its level of profitability while achieving all the financial goals it has developed. The new executive must help the Human resources department understand their roles and assemble this department from both organizations to be successful. As with any company customer satisfactions should be a priority and by educating the public about the benefits of the newly merged company and the great performances you provide can greatly increase your exposure to a larger customer base.

The Regime of Nazi Germany :: Papers

The Regime of Nazi Germany l Physical education was given 15% of school time, and some sports such as boxing became compulsory for boys. Pupils had to pass an examination, and unsatisfactory performance could lead to being expelled. l History. This concentrated on the rise of the Nazi Party, the injustices of the Treaty of Versailles and the evils of communism and the Jews. l Biology explained Nazi ideas on race and population control. Pupils were taught how to measure their skulls and to classify racial types; also that Aryans were superior and should not marry inferior races. l German. This taught pupils to be conscious of their national identity by reading about German heroes of the Hitler Youth and First World War. l Geography taught about the lands, which were once part of Germany and the need for more living space for Germans. l Religious studies became less important and by 1937 pupils could drop the subject. Girls usually had a different curriculum from boys. They also studied domestic science and eugenics (how to produce perfect offspring by selecting ideal qualities in the parents) c) The Hitler Youth was an organization formed by the Nazis, for young boys or girls to join this organization at the age of 14 and do hiking, singing folk-songs, camping and sport. The German Maidens was an organization for girls only. They had to do similar activities and tests as the boys, but in a certain extent it was slightly less military. Both boys and girls marched in exciting parades with loud bands. They were also physically fit and their leisure time was devoted to the Nazis and Hitler. They were strong cross-country runners, and confident at reading maps. After years of summer camps, they were comfortable camping out of doors, and the boys knew how to clean a rifle and keep it in good condition. d) The boys were preparing to fight in battles, they had to be fierce and grow hate for Jews, and show no any mercy to any of them.